


Fibercraft as Art and Utility in Vulcan Culture

by Reyka_Sivao



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Academic, Crochet, Essay, Gen, Knitting, fibercraft, yarncraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyka_Sivao/pseuds/Reyka_Sivao
Summary: I made the mistake of pointing out that the weird knit/crocheted belts in amok time meant that Vulcans definitely had a history of yarncraft. So here you go have some bullshit
Comments: 8
Kudos: 69





	Fibercraft as Art and Utility in Vulcan Culture

_Purada-toran_ (roughly, ‘the making of that which is spun’) is the umbrella term for various Vulcan arts of yarncraft, similar to the knitting or crochet with which readers from Earth might be more familiar.

While Vulcans have a reputation for pure practicality, leading some to believe that they would prefer to rely entirely on replication technology, Vulcan also has a strong cultural affinity for history and tradition, and there is still a vibrant subculture of handcrafting even in the age of space travel. One saying such creators like to use translates as “moving hands build swift minds”, referring to an interwoven history of handicrafts as a kind of moving meditation.

There are many forms of meditation in Vulcan culture other than the quiet introspection into a lamp’s flame that many associate with the concept. Indeed, kal-toh, which is commonly considered a game along the lines of “Vulcan chess”, is a type of active meditation used as a focal point for ordering one’s thoughts. Similarly, many forms of handcrafting are used as a way of physically manifesting order out of chaos.

While it is beyond the scope of this writing to go into detail on the methods involved, there are five main techniques that they fall into: the use of one or more flat needles, one or more hooks, one or more straight rods, hand weaving, and a technique involving multiple strands held in place by the use of pins.

Historically, these have held different places in Vulcan society, ranging from the practical to the ceremonial. Some of the earliest records of Vulcan textiles appear to be made with the needle method, using sehlat wool fibers.

Later innovations included a number of vegetative fibers used for different purposes. For example, there are traditional belts used in Vulcan wedding ceremonies in specific colors for specific roles. These are usually, though not always, created using the hook method.

However, while all are of course worthy of deeper inspection, one of the most interesting methods is the multi-strand bobbin technique.

While the other methods have entirely practical applications, the bobbin technique is too complex to be used to create fabric in an efficient manner, and is exclusively used to create decorative and ceremonial garments.

A similar method is sometimes used on earth to create lace. However, the Vulcan method tends toward less use of negative space, and while earth methods tend towards curves and circular structures, the Vulcan art is more angular. Both use mathematically precise patterns; but Vulcan patterns rely primarily on triangles while their earth counterparts use circles (See: IDIC in interplanetary fiber arts, by Selek and Sh’tiran of Andor).

The tradition of bobbin weaving strives to find a balance between mathematically significant patterns and aesthetic merit. Some schools of thought, like that founded by Toraik of Llangon, focus on symmetry, while other artists, like T’Vomak of Seleya, emphasize finding balance in asymmetry. (Congruity of Form, Art in Vulcan History, by V’Larin)

However, while art level fibercrafting is relatively rare, many Vulcans are hobbyists. Among those who live offworld, warm items of clothing such as hats and scarves are popular choices of projects as most spacecraft and many planets are colder than ideal for Vulcan comfort.

All in all, fiber art and yarncraft are intertwined with Vulcan history, and will undoubtedly continue to be an important thread of their culture well into the future.


End file.
